Twinnies

I was told this actually happened a few days back.

The little big man (who, by the way, is no longer little) put a lock on his phone using his image. The way it goes is that the phone only opens if he puts his face in front of it and it detects that it is him trying to unlock it.

The little girl, naughty as she is, put her face in front of the phone.

And walah!!! It opened!!!

Now who still says they don't look alike? 

guess who's cooking!

so i've been proud of the little achievements i've had about cooking for the family. 

but today, the little big man did it too. a couple of times, i've told him that it's about time he learns to cook simple meals, and rice. so last night, i taught him, with the lights out and we were about to go to sleep, how to cook instant noodles. i was specific about how to turn the stove on and off because i don't want him causing a fire or getting himself burned. i told him the danger of turning it on and not having any flame being that the gas is coming out in the air and he doesn't know it and once he clicks it again, it might burst into flames. yeah, quite morbid to imagine but it's better that he knows than to regret later.

this morning, he texted me and asked again the step by step procedure. i called him and again, told him how to fire up the stove, how many cups of water to put for 2 packs, when to put in the noodles, when to pour the seasoning, how to find out if it's cooked...i told him again to be extra careful with the stove and to make sure it's turned off after cooking.

in less than 30 minutes, he texted me: 

Mommy success! Ang sarap 15 May 2014  9:49am

i'm so proud of him. he's learning to be a more responsible young man everyday. he still has a lot to learn i know, but these baby steps are all he needs and he'll be on his way. makes me a bit dreadful that soon he won't need me anymore. just this morning, he was talking about going out and exploring the world on his bike. i told him he can only bike around the neighborhood but never outside the subdivision but i will never know for sure, right? the last month, he and his little sister have been on their own during mornings (being that it's summer break here) and although they still fight a lot, i know that soon, he will be able to take on, seriously, his role as big brother.

i only pray for him and the little girl that God guides them always and that i will be able to instill in them the right values and morals they need to become the best that they can be when they grow up.

It's easier to build strong children

than to repair broken men.

~Frederick Douglass

julla's eyes

six or so months ago, the little girl was diagnosed with astigmatism.  we were enrolling in 2nd grade and part of the procedure was the standard medical exam.  during the eye test, she couldn't see most of line 8.  which was pretty  bad for a 7-year old like her.  she was also confirmed to be near-sighted.  something which i know she got from me, my mom and the rest of my mom's genes.

last weekend, we finally had her fitted with eyeglasses.  i didn't realize kids' eyeglasses were expensive.  but she was too cute not to let her get those lavander framed specs.

so now she doesn't have to sit on the classroom platform in order to copy her notes.  she can now see clearly the image of mama mary when going to church, much less, read the songs on the screen.  she can watch television from the bed instead of standing right in front of it.  and most of all, she can experience her world more through her new set of eyes. :)

The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; 

my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.

― Meister Eckhart, Sermons of Meister Eckhart

loss

three days ago.

this story is supposed to be about my two kids'  taekwondo tournament but it's gonna segue into a totally different, devastating story.  that is a forewarning.

it was the bulacan taekwondo championships held in marilao convention center in, where else, bulacan.  the kids were psyched for another fight and so were hubby and me.  i can say that we live for days like these.  it just makes us plain happy.

little girl was sent to the mats early and won her first game without a sweat.  (that's me, the mom, talking.)  second game was a breeze.  (again, proud mom moment.)  

her finals match was unexpected.  she was up against an older girl but with the same height, the younger sister of a veteran champ in clraa (central luzon ahtletic association or something) and although wearing a white belt, we expect has been training way longer than my little girl.  little girl overwhelmingly lost her finals match.  and her tears of furstration and hurt were overwhelming as well.  i consoled her of course that it was not something to be ashamed of and that we're all still proud of her.

...ooOoo...

little big man's first game was a breeze too.  then finals match was definitely not hard but sadly, he lost by 1 point.  he was disappointed of course, being hungry for another gold again but i guess, luck wasn't on his side.... yet.  coach told hubby that the little big man already has everything -- skills, form, speed -- we just have to be a little more patient and we will harvest soon. this guy's time will come.  i've said this time and time again, everytime he loses, because i strongly believe so.

...ooOoo...

towards late afternoon, the intense games of the kids' high school teammates got us all worked up and cheering on the sides.  it became an opportunity for some nitwit to steal my handbag which i left on a chair together with our team's bags and equipment.  the thief singled out my bag because i left our low bat iPad®  inside.  he must've been around already since morning, checking out who would be neglectful of their belongings, and i turned out to be the unknowing victim.

when i found my chair without my bag, i told the hubby and we informed coach who announced it over the microphone to please be mindful of belongings since a parent (me!!) lost her bag.  a little while later, coach's wife when she found out, told us she noticed an abandoned bag inside one of the stinky toilets.  and there it was.  my ransacked bag without the iPad and my wallet.

three lessons in losing today:

1)  the little girl's loss tells me that despite doing your best, if the other person who beat you is way ahead of you, you have to accept.  but you better train harder so you will be as good as her, if not better.

2)  the little big man's loss tells me that being the winner is not a one-time thing.  the process of getting there, overcoming obstacles, learning and maturing marks the true champion.  his time will come.

3)  and what did i learn from my loss?  never leave your personal belongings unattended.  God bless that nitwit thief.  and God bless me more.

“Winning or losing achieves the same result-- change.” 

― Shannon L. Alder

kicking it again

the little big man was in a taekwondo tournament yesterday.  after a long while again.  it used to be that almost every month we were on a tournament somewhere in this country.  we miss those days.

anyway, he got a bronze medal after losing in the semi-finals to a black belt.  score was a very tight 2-1.  worth-reading an old post i wrote about losing:  

http://ceschami.blogspot.com/2011/04/prize.html?showComment=1303271527948#c2292520225407376454

the highlight of the day was the little big man's cousin -- my brother's son.  it was his first time to compete.  he trained for a week and his dad convinced him to try out this competition.  his was just an exhibition game, with our coach making sure he doesn't get traumatized on his very first game.  well, he lost but got himself a silver medal for trying.  he needs a lot of training and i hope he and his dad seriously get into this.  

the hubby came to the event and the kids were mighty glad to see him.  although the little girl started crying when he was about to leave again later in the afternoon.  things are tough but i know in my heart we will all be able to cope.

break wind

little girl to mommy some time last week:

mommy, bat ganun yung utot ko amoy kalan?

kalan?  bakit naman amoy kalan?

yung kalan mommy.. yung body of water.

body of water?

yung lesson namin sa sibika.  yung maliit na dagat.

huh? ilog?

hindi yung ganyan o.  (irritatedly motioning with her two hands making some sort of a pathway.)

huh???

ah kanal!  kanal!
(cue in canned laughter)

yung utot mo amoy kanal!

(more laughter)

mommy fail

busy days at work took a backseat again yesterday for my kids' annual field demo day in school.  past years it was only the little big man's day.  this year is more meaningful and eventful, being the little girl is now in 1st grade and participating in the activity.

about two weeks ago, i was already on my toes finding the materials for their costume which was prescribed by the school.  i needed orange gina cloth (luckily both kids needed the same color), white leotards, black shorts, orange shorts, gold foil paper, dark blue art paper, green satin ribbon... the works.  the last night before the event, i had to cram sewing and pasting and putting together the 2 different costumes for the 2 kids.

so yesterday, we were all set.  both kids were excited.  their classmates and teachers worked 2 weeks practicing and this day is the big day they were gonna show off what stuff they're made of.

the littel girl's sched of presentation was at 9:15am while the little big man is at 10:45am.  we  arrived in school at around 9:05-9:10.  (my fault because i agreed to wait for my dad and brother before going to school but that's a differet story and i might digress if i go into the details of that.)

the hubby and i agreed he'd go with the little big man while i go with the little girl.  and so, as she and i were passing by the gym, we heard "fireworks" being played and i turned to her and asked, isn't that the music that you're going to dance to?

wide-eyed, she said yes while we both wondered why it was already playing.  i tried to peep to see what's going on but it was too crowded.  so i told the little girl that we should just go to the meeting area of her batchmates.  on our way there, we passed by a video wall showing  livestream what was happening inside the gym.  

lo and behold!  a sea of orange skirts with blue and gold vests worn over white leotards and black shorts!  my insides ached so bad i thought my knees turned jelly and i felt like i would fall in utter frustration.  i turned to the little girl, carried her in my arms, pointed to her the wall and painfully said, anak, sorry hindi ka na makakasali.  ayun na sila o.  i was close to tears.

she stared at the video wall.  then she patted my shoulder, ok lang yan mommy, ok lang yan. she seemed so cool about it and was even the one comforting me!  she stared again for about a minute then she turned away and rested her chin on my shoulder while hugging me tight.  in a few seconds, i knew she was teary-eyed and i kept on saying i'm sorry, i'm sorry to her.  i told her that when we get home, she will wear her costume and perform for me and her dad and kuya and i will video her performance and we will cheer and clap for her.

mommy, ok lang na hindi ako nakasali.  alam ko naman na pinaghirapan mo yung costume ko hanggang kagabi di ba?  ok lang yun.  then she was teary-eyed again and she hugged me again while i hugged her back.  halika na mommy, ayaw ko na dito.

we found the hubby and the little big man in his grade 5 classroom and told them what happened.  (of course, the hubby blamed me because we both knew we should be there by 8:30 but i told them 9:15 pa naman ang performance e.  and yeah, that thing with my dad.)  afterwards, we went to the gym in time for kuya's performance.  

while waiting, a video wall inside the gym was running the highlights of the grade 1 to 3 performances.  and there again was the grade 1 performance which the little girl failed to participate in just an hour ago.  i pointed it to her, she looked and shrugged saying, ayaw ko na makita yan.  i felt her pain and secretly pointed an imaginary gun to my head and shot myself.  i was as devastated as she.

super mommy fail. :(

here's her costume.  shot at home after.

and here's her vid.  on top of  the bed.  watch it and applaud.  PLEASE.

and here's what the little big man had to show.

and some pics of how the little girl coped with her mommy's failure. :( wearing her kuya's head dress while waiting for him after his performance.

happy birthday little big man

dear little big man,

today is your 10th birthday.  i am so happy to see how you've grown so well into your 2-digit age.  you've brought a lot of pride and happiness to me and your dad  these past century of our life.  i want to thank you for that.

i only wish you to fulfill your big dreams.  learning everything you can in school, becoming a taekwondo black belt and competing and winning in your sport.  becoming a loving kuya to your little sister and an obedient son too.  often when we're praying silently, you would ask me what my prayer for myself is.  and i'd tell you that whatever you prayed for, i prayed to God that He give it to you as long as it is what He intended for you.  eversince i had you, i only wished for nothing but your complete happiness.  for it will make me happy as well.

son, please grow up to be a better man.  let's overcome life's obstacles together.  i'll be in front but please promise me that you will be behind me -- my back-up.

i love you, today and always.

mom

parts of the head

the little girl and i were reviewing parts of the head over the weekend for a quiz this week:

me (pointing at her hair):  What's this? 

little girl: Hair.

me (pointing at her forehead): What's this? 

little girl (full of conviction): Third eye.

cool school

the little girl's entrance exam results at the little big man's school were released yesterday.  we went in for interview and were so happy to be told that she topped her test in reading with the highest possible score of 9.  her math is 8 (above average) and her language is 6 (average).  

the guidance councilor told us that per her assessment, the little girl got a 4 (average) as to her ability to keep up with the school's system of education but was happy to find out that her test results showed otherwise.

so, it is official.  she's going to big school and there's no turning back.

Big school

conversations

the kids and hubby have recently become hooked on that tetris game on facebook.  now the kids here include our nephews.  

so today the hubby told me this conversation between the little girl and the nephew:

yessss, naka-t-spin din ang pinakamagandang babae (the little girl, who just turned 6 years old last week, referring to herself, finally able to execute a proper t-spin in tetris)

baket maganda ka ba? retorts 8-year old nephew

baket pogi ka ba?  .......(short pause)..... basagggg!  (the little girl's curt reply)

6th on a high

the little girl celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday.  the occasion fell on a maundy thursday and weeks ahead, i already had it figured out that we'd just go to the mall, eat at a nice resto that she's never eaten in before, get her birthday cake and go shopping.

a lot of things did not fall into place though.  

we realized a few days before that the car registration has expired at the end of march so we had to commute.  well, we rode a cab.  

it turned out that there were no malls open.  metro manila was a ghost town every year during this time so what (the heck) were we thinking!  so we directed the cab to go to nearby qc memorial circle where the hubby and i knew there were nice restos at least.  

once there, most of the restos were CLOSED as well.  how lucky can our birthday girl get?!  i did not want to give up and not make her special day a fun day.  hubby argued we should just go to a nearby mcdonald's or jollibee where he was sure the kids would have fun.  but i was insistent that we go somewhere we don't usually go to.  alas, we found a bacolod chicken inasal packed with people right beside the max's resto which was also closed.

so we ordered.  and ended up not happy with the food either.  the hubby cooks way, way better than what was served us.

i was frustrated as hell. 

so we walked around under the trees while the kids tried to have fun.  we watched some parkour guys practicing until somebody directed us to the kid' play area.  that's when the  F - U - N started.

Julla's birthday on a HIGH

moving up

the little girl graduated from pre-school yesterday.  

it is one of the most gratifying moments in a mom's life.  she's only turing 6 years old next week and i know we still have a long way to go.  a lot more gratifying moments to come -- her 7th birthday, her first day in high school, her first menstruation... college, first love.... well, i'm (crossing my fingers) hoping first love comes after college.  she came in 3rd overall, i think, since the school is progressive and as a rule, does not give numeric grades.  but she was called 3rd to the last so i figured that's it.

next week, she's taking entrance exams at the little big man's school.   wish us luck.

Her page in the school souvenir program

Her introduction

Her doxology

And her fooling around :)

i so look forward to the many more fruitful years ahead.

all kids her age starting 1st grade next schoolyear will be working the new K+12 curriculum to be implemented by the  philippines' department of education.  this means 7 years of grade school and 5 years of high school.  

tkd girl

just 2 weeks ago, i was talking about the little girl wanting make-up yeah?

well this week, she joined her very first taekwondo tournament. and today, her first official taekwondo training.  well, she's been watching and learning whenever her brother is training so she more or less, has the general idea on how to properly kick.  and she spars with him at home too.  so hubby and i were confident enough to try her in an exhibition in last sunday's tournament.  

yep, you read that right.  my kikay girl is also a kanto girl.  


(embed video)

i'm not sure though if her other interests, i.e. ballet, belly-dancing, singing, swimming, will take a backseat this summer or not.

i'm so looking forward to the boys who will try to woo her in the future and whose asses she will kick.

girlfriend

after that post about the little girl and her fascination for make-up, i am reminded of the little big man with his new-found fascination for....drumroll please...... A GIRL.  or as he calls it, CRUSH.

ok, this may be too much in one day.  the girl, barely 6 years old, into make-up and the boy, just turned 9, having a crush.  but i just had to blog this and make it something to laugh about later on.  maybe blackmail them into doing something for me when i'm old and gray.

so anyway.  it's been over a week that the little big man has been exchanging text messages with his classmate who is, yes -- a girl.  Who has, yes -- a crush on him.  he claims he has a crush on her too but i really think he only has a crush on her because he found out she has a crush on him.

some of the girl's messages i read goes like this:

kinilig ako kanina.

pano tayo makakapag-usap? alam ko na magpasahan tayo ng letter.

bakit di mo ko tinatawagan?

nasan ka? (this was sent during lunch break)

may sasabihin ako sa yo pero di ko masabi.

good night. mwah. :-*

while they're young, i encourage my kids to not have secrets from me.  that i am their best confidant for anything whether problems or dreams or crushes.  i feel a certain joy that my son trusts me enough to let me read some, if not all their text messages.  


i continually pray that my relationship with my kids be as open as this until they grow up.

make up

recently i've noticed the little girl watching youtube videos about make-up tutorials.  and consequently, she has been bugging me to buy her make-up.  it even came to a point that she was bargaining that she will not tag along to somewhere i was going to where she was not allowed on the condition that i will bring make-up when i get back.  i knew i was going to give in eventually  but i didn't want to go to the mall just for that.  so i told her to wait till the weekend when we do go.  she bawled over, gave me the bratty attitude which i so hate, did everything to make me buy her but to no avail.

but yesterday, i found these pretty little things at hortaleza.  made for girls 8-18 "who are in the advent of many beautiful first experiences." 

the culprits:  hypoallergenic pressed powder, lip gloss,
shimmer cheek blush with sunscreen, sparkle eyeshadow

i know, i know! my girl is way too young for make-up.  goodness, she's only turning 6 this april! but i had to humor her.  or maybe, humor myself.  i can't help but give in.  so shoot me, my self-rightoeous, condemning, judgmental readers! ;-)  disclaimer:  i am not, in any way, advocating, endorsing or justifying make-up use for 5-year olds.  

did you shoot me already?

but let me just say that i did lay down the rules.  1)  that she can only wear them if she's going to sing or dance in a school presentation.  incidentally, her moving up ceremony is coming up next month and she's actually going to dance the doxology!  2) that she absolutely cannot wear it in school or in church.  3)  that she washes her face everytime after.

here she is wearing her trial make-up.

on a side note. there was a time when the little girl was told by her teacher that they will have make-up classes on a saturday because of the several typhoons that cancelled classes.  during the evening after of one such class, i asked her how her make-up class went, her reply was, hindi naman kami nag-make up e.  nag-aral lang kami.

praying

http://papertolesupply.com/littleboyprayingpapertole3dkit5x7.aspx

our little family recently got into the habit of praying spontaneously.  for years, we've been praying "the angel of god" every night before bedtime.  the four of us know it by heart, even when the kids were too young to pronounce the words, they knew the prayer by sound and would ramble along with the hubby and me whilst we did.


i love that these days, the spontaneous praying has become a requisite.  the little big man prays in english.  the little girl in tagalog.  the hubby in tagalog, me in english.  mostly the kids' prayers are thank yous for the good things that happened during their day.  then they'd say sorry for disobeying or anything they know they did wrong.  what touches me most is when they pray for each other and for their dad and me.  especially their dad about our problems last year.  i feel their sincerity.  i have really cool kids, i know right. :)


as i write, i was supposed to relate an actual prayer but my memory is failing me.  this blog entry was started last january 19 with that in mind but i was unable to finish so i'm just finishing it now.  i will make sure to remember tonight's prayers so i can write them down here.

four

i did mention that we've sort of officially adopted the teenage godson yeah?  when that boy was a baby, the hubby was still the boyfriend at the time, i took care of him and loved him like my own.  now that he's grown, still needing  parental love and care, we're still here for him because we've accepted the fact that he needs us.

and then there's the other godson.

i've been ranting, but not blogging, about how irresponsible parents he had and why the heck they're making others, hubby and i in particular, take responsibility over his needs.  just last week, i decided to shun him out because i felt abused by his parents, letting him stay at our house during the holy week break, and THEN making him come back the very next day after i returned him to their house and THEN telling my mom i am discriminating their son.

until a spark of enlightenment came over the hubby yesterday morning and told me, you know what, it's not that boy's fault.  he is already unlucky that his parents aren't taking care of him and can't give him their best time and effort.  and while our kids are enjoying our love and affection, why not let him share in that?  after all, God has been blessing us so much that maybe, He wants us to be a blessing to others as well.  and just like that, we decided to take him in and be pseudo parents to him as well. 

it's a liberating feeling to accept something that i've staved off for so long. 
so now here's our little, but growing, brood of 4....

mommy matters

the other night, the little big man handed me a brown sheet of paper from school.  it read "pupil's behavioral report".  it showed 5 minor offenses committed by him to which i had to sign to prove that i am informed of this situation.

i was saddened by this that i couldn't help but shed a few tears right in front of my son.  which made him feel soooo full of remorse.  he cried and hugged me and promised to behave in school from now on.

makes me think of all those times that my friends would tell me what a great mom i am.  to which i always tell them that i actually have a lot -- a whole lot, for that matter -- of flaws as a mother.  for one thing, i do not cook.  i do not iron clothes, much less wash them.  i spend too much time on facebook, farmville and market street instead of sitting with them through a good book.  i don't know how to braid or even tie my daughter's hair properly that won't make her look like she's having a bad hair day.  i let them get dirty but i do make them wash up after.  i sometimes forget to check their homeworks, boo!!  i don't wake up in the middle of the night to make them pee , thus, a wet bed at 3 a.m.

i cannot, for the life of me, bear the smell of barf but i am unbelievably able to clean up several ounces of julla's fresh barf every so often.  i learned to clean up my kids' poo back during their diaper-wearing days too.  i am ever patient with them when they are being whiny or clingy.  i do wash the dishes.  i sew my kids' names inside their underwear and i make fabulous name tags for their books, notebooks and school supplies which i  really think is quite cool.  i read to them whenever i can (or when i'm not on facebook hahah!).  i buy them cool clothes, shoes and toys believing it boosts their confidence to have cool things.  i make sure they go to good schools and expose them to everything i can to make them well-rounded persons.   i lie in bed with open arms and let each kid snuggle up in each armpit, every night, hugging them to me until they fall asleep.  by request, i skip work to spend a whole day with them.  and everyday, i go straight home from work to maximize family time. (and facebook time, har-har!)  i attend every school activity or extra-curricular event that my kid is involved in. 

i wake them up gently.  i tickle them.  i bathe them.  i kiss and hug them as often as i can and as much as they'll allow me.  i never break promises as long as i can help it.  i

i  could go on and on.  yet, i can never claim to be worst mom in the world.  nor the greatest.  i think, each mom has something only her own children will benefit from.  the way we love them is our own.  we will only know we're doing the right thing everytime they hug us back, kiss us back. 

Don't worry that your children never listen to you:

worry that they are always watching you. 

--Robert Fulghum

summer heat

and so another weekend has come and gone.  summer is here.  we are definitely feeling the heat.  our electricity bill shot up to 5,800 bucks from 4,600 last month.  due to a lot of airconditioning plus electric fan plus the fact that the ice shaver for the snow cone machine downstairs may have been eating up a lot too.  i better start charging my brother for that soon. 

more expenses coming our way.  there's the taekwondo tournament this coming weekend.  then there's julla's moving up the next weekend.  ballet lessons for julla's summer activity too.  plans for a summer getaway.  migo transfering to a new school also entails more moolah needed a.s.a.p.  also there's the plans for a car and a new house.  wonder how we can get through the next 3 months...

the heat is on!

well the important thing is we're getting through this together.  and i know the kids are oblivious to all this but as long as they're happy, i don't mind.